Flip Flotsam 2003
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by Etienne Oliff and Lucy Bateman
Director n/a
VHS, color, 26 min.
Jr. High - Adult
African Studies, Business
Date Entered: 07/15/2004
Reviewed by Marianne D. Muha, E. H. Butler Library, State University of New York College at BuffaloThis entertaining film follows the lifecycle of the flip flop in East Africa. Filmed over a 2 year period, it provides an informative and amusing view of the popular footwear. The video begins in Mombasa, Kenya where 20 million pairs of flip flops are produced each year. The production process is simple but requires many hands. Old car tires are used to produce 80,000 pairs per day.
The video then moves to the small island of Lamu, home to the Swahili people. Flip flops have become part of their traditional dress. The viewer sees the Muslim people going to pray 5 times a day and leaving their flip flops outside the Mosque doors. Flip flops in need of repair are taken to cobblers who specialize in this type of work. The ones beyond repair are discarded. The narrator then goes on to describe the monsoons that occur every May, washing debris into the ocean. We watch as a discarded flip flop is carried out to sea, where its buoyancy provides a neat floating perch for barnacles and crabs. The photography of the flip flop on its journey is fantastic with the close-ups of the marine life.
At last they come to shore further down the African coast. The resourceful local beachcombers collect the washed-up flip flops. The women of the village transform them into toys and mobiles by carving the flip flops into colorful creations. The ruined parts are peeled away and the colorful insides of the flip flops are used to make the crafts. The transformed flip flops are then packed onto ships and transported back to Mombasa, where their life began! Here, the eco-friendly creations are displayed and sold at markets where they capture the imaginations of locals and tourists as well. The trash has been transformed into much-needed cash and the flip flops have come full circle.
This film was nominated for the Pete Lorenz Award and the Distinguished Short Documentary Award at the IDA Film Festival, 2003 and received the Newcomers Award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, 2003. It’s creatively done, the quality and sound are terrific and the narration is filled with witty puns and many a play on words. This film would benefit libraries with African studies and business collections. It is highly recommended.